The primary goal of the Hypertension Education Project is to develop and compare several behavioral change techniques for achieving increased compliance to medical regimens among already diagnosed hypertensives. The two methods being tested are: active involvement of both the patient and a family member in the blood pressure monitoring process (primarily the home use of a sphygmomanometer and daily charting of blood pressure readings; and supportive reinforcement through periodic home follow-up visits by pharmacists or public health nurses. Sampling has now been completed at 7 clinics in 2 N.C. hospitals, with over 200 HEP patients randomly allocated to one of several groups. Two-thirds of these patients are receiving a variable number of home visits (3 to 15) from allied health professionals over a two-year period. The other 1/3, or control group, receive standard, out-patient hospital care but no formalized hypertensive patient education or home visits. Data to test the effectiveness of these methods are being compiled from a variety of sources: (1) health attitudes and beliefs measured by questionnaires administered to all patients, patients' significant others, and visiting home professionals; (2) patients' understanding of, and attitudes toward, their hypertension regimens, and psycho-social observations on the patient, recorded after each home visit; and (3) medical indicators of health status abstracted from hospital charts and the daily logs kept by patients. In this, its second year, the focus is on an analysis of patient and home visitor questionnaire data and abstraction of clinic records. Preliminary analyses concern: the effect of attitudinal and enabling factors on behavioral intentions to comply; the impact of the various intervention strategies on several indicators of compliance; and the correlations between social support variables and blood pressure reduction. Blood pressures are those taken immediately prior to entrance into the study and 6 to 12 months later. A follow-up interview, when home visiting has been in progress for a year, is planned; a final exit interview when no visiting has taken place for a year, will test the strength and stability of any behavioral changes observed and initially attributed to the project.